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American Gods Season 2 Will Go Deeper Into Its Crazy World

When American Gods returns for its second season, the show will dive even deeper into the many worlds it inhabits. When it came time to adapt Neil Gaiman's novel American Gods, it only made sense for it to find a home on TV. Not only does the first book feature multiple narrative threads and a sprawling adventure, but the conceit of the novel hints at an endless array of stories that can be told.

Much of the work for the first season of American Gods was introducing the various main characters and slowly sketching the world of the series. Most of this was done through Shadow, but characters like Laura were also expanded to help viewers get acclimated to the narrative. Along the way, we met the gods both old and new that now live in the United States and saw glimpses of the war to come. And with the season finale, Shadow and the audience were finally brought into the immersive world Bryan Fuller and Michael Green helped to create from Gaiman's work.

Nerdist spoke with the two showrunners about the first season, which in turn led to them opening up about what's to come. For Fuller, season 2 will have even more freedom to explore things now that the foundation has been laid for the viewers.

“The second season has so much more energy and drive than the first season, because we spent eight episodes trying to establish a vocabulary, not only for the audience, but for Shadow Moon to understand the world that he’s been plunged into. We ended that season with an awareness that gives us the opportunity to go further and dig deeper for these character stories now that everybody’s on the same page.”

Like the audience, Shadow is now familiar with the universe he's in. As such, we'll get more into the threat of war, meet even more gods, and likely encounter some new faces that weren't in the books. Season 1 introduced Vulcan, an idea Gaiman came up with after the book came out. It also expanded on characters like Jesus, who was only teased in the novel. There are all sorts of old and new gods we'd love to see in season 2, and many of them will be tied to the show's new locations.

The first season ended with Bilquis arriving at the House on the Rock ahead of Shadow and Wednesday. And like the world of the show, the real world tourist trap is anything but ordinary.

"It’s unlike any other place I’ve ever been to; it is a wonderful amalgamation of kitsch, camp, and curiosity. It’s my favorite place on the continent.”

Gaiman was inspired to write much of American Gods from his travels across the U.S., which included stops at many quirky locations that serve as settings in the book. The House on the Rock will be just the beginning for both Shadow and the audience, as season 2 of American Gods will drop everyone into the deep end of Gaiman's world.